Cleaning device for boots and shoes.



L. L. CLlPPlNGER.

CLEANING DEVICE FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17; 1914.

5 1 9 1 0 1 A d m 7 6 31mm LLC h COLUMBIA PLANOQRAPH 50., WASHINGTON. n,c,

s'rns 'r LONZO L. cmrrmenn, or EVERETT, WASHINGTON.

CLEANING DEVICE FOR BOOTS AND-SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug-10, 1915,

Application filed April 17, 1914. Serial No. 832,578.

C, To all whom it m any concern 5 Be it known that I, LoNzo L.Cnrrrrnonn,

vices for Boots and Shoes, of which the fol-;

lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cleaning devices for boots,shoes and the like and has particular application to a floor supporteddevice of this character.

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide acleaning device for boots and shoes which will embody among otherfeatures a bottom brush and side brushes disposed at the opposite sidesof the bottom brush and at right angles thereto and connected with thelatter in such manner as to adapt themselves to shoes of various widthswhereby when a shoe is drawn through the device the bottom brush willclean the bottom thereof while the side brushes will act upon the sidesof the shoe to remove the dirt therefrom, such side brushes movingrelatively to the bottom brush to accommodate the shoe. It is also mypurpose to provide a device of the class described wherein the variousbrushes will be held assembled and secured to the floor in such mannerthat the device as an entirety may be swung to inactive position tofacilitate the cleaning of the floor and the device.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forthin and falling within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 is a perspective view of acleaning device constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a viewin elevation showing the device in inactive position.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, 1 designates a support composed,in the present instance, of a single length of wire bent upon itselfintermediate its ends as at 2 to provide parallel arms 8 which, in turn,are bent at right angles to themselves and projected in oppositedirections as at 4 to form connecting limbs 5, the latter being bent atright angles to themselves as at 6 and lying in planes substantiallyparallel with the arms 3 at the opposite sides of the latter and formingsupporting arms 7. Each arm 7 adjacent to the junction of the same withthe connecting member 5 is coiled upon itself to form a spring 8.

Fastened to the arms 3 in some suitable manner is a bottom brush 9normally lying ina horizontal plane and having the bristles thereofproJecting upwardly, while secured to the supporting arms 7, 7 at theopposite sides of the brush 9 are side brushes 10, 10 arranged at rightangles to the bottom brush and having the bristles thereof confrontingeach other as illustrated in Fig. 1.

. Inpractice, the connecting members 5 of the support are secured to thefloor or other support by means of straps 11, 11, such straps permittingthe swinging of the device as an entirety so that the brushes may bedisposed in a horizontal plane and in a vertical plane. Normally, thedevice lies in a horizontal plane and when it is desired to remove thedirt from the shoe, the latter is placed within the brushes 10 and uponthe bottom brush 9 and drawn through the device longitudinally of thebrushes whereby the bristles act upon the bottom and sides of the shoeto effectively clean the latter. The springs 8 in the supporting arms 7permit the side brushes to swing relatively to the bottom brush so thatthe device will receive shoes of various widths, the springs holding theconfronting faces of the brushes in frictional engagement with the sideof the shoe in the use of the device.

It will be seen that the support acts to hold the brushes in properrelative positions and at the same time permits the device to be swungas an entirety from an active position to an inactive position and viceversa.

WVhile I have herein shown and described one preferred form of myinvention by way of illustration, I wish it to be understood that I donot limit or confine myself to the precise details of constructionherein de scribed and delineated, as modification and variation may bemade within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

I claim:

1. A shoe cleaning device comprising a bottom brush, side brushes and asupport holding said brushes assembled and comprising a single length ofwire bent upon itself intermediate its ends to form supporting arms andthen extended laterally to provide connecting limbs and thence bent atright angles to form supporting arms .lying in parallel planes With thefirst arm at the opposite sides of the latter, and connections betweensaid first arms and bottom brush and said last arms and side brushes.

2. A shoe cleaning device comprising a bottom brush, side brushes and-asupport v holding said brushes assembled and comprising a single lengthof Wire bent upon itself intermediate its ends to form supporting armsandthen extended laterally to provide connecting limbs and thence bentat right angles to form supporting arms lying in parallel planes 'Withthe first arm at the Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the opposite sides of the latter, andconnections between said first arms and bottom brush 15 and said lastarms and side brushes, said last arms being coiled upon themselves toform springs whereby the side brushes may moverelatively to the bottombrush.

Intestimony whereof I am my signature 20 in presence oftWo Witnesses.

" LONZO L. OLIPPINGER.

Witnesses R. M. JAooBsoN, I. I. FULLER.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

